Michael, Scy, and Jamie walk down a corridor which Michael has yet to explore. The hall descends beneath the school via wide flat steps. The school's white plaster interior transitions to a darker brickwork which blends with the rough stone of a cavernous tunnel spiraling deeper into the mountain.

"So where exactly is this market..? In the basement?" Michael asks.

Jamie opens his mouth to reply, but Scy interrupts him with a sharp look and offers a proper explanation.

"These stairs lead down to the town beneath Upside Academy, and the Magi-Market is a pretty popular shop in town." Scy explains.

Michael's blinks in mild surprise as he recalls the sea of thick crimson fog below the mountain, and his expectations for the town below hover somewhere between shady fog filled slum and magical sanctuary city.

"Really? I'm kind of excited now..." Michael says.

The trio walks a little further down the spacious tunnel before the faint sounds of foot traffic and people talking can be heard. Michael's jaw drops when they fully round the corner to reveal an impressive sight.

Just ahead of them sits an open portcullis fashioned from wrought iron, and beyond that threshold sits a sprawling city built out of white marble and luminescent wood. Several horse sized gecko's crawl along the rather tall buildings of the city, and their rider's cling to the reigns with goggles covering their eyes. Mages dressed in a variety of clothing mill about the cobbled streets, and thick red clouds cover the sky.

"First time in a mage town?" Jamie asks sarcastically.

Michael nods absentmindedly as Jamie gently nudges him forward, and the three walk through the gates into the town proper.

"This is incredible..."

The sight of a horse sized gecko suddenly spreading its previously unseen wings and taking flight gives Michael a shock, and Jamie catches him with a smug smile as he nearly stumbles into someone passing by. Michael gets a little flushed as he shrugs off his embarrassment.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but we should really get you a phone first." Scy reminds him.

"Y-Yeah, let's do that." Michael replies.

With that Scy guides them down the cobbled road and toward one of the busier crossroads. An immensely tall tower filled with diamond shaped windows and purple luminous crystals dominates this section of the street. Michael looks up to read the sign as Scy and Jamie step inside.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Magi-Market

The something for your everything.

Michael hurries to join his friends inside, and hears a melodic chime echo throughout the spacious interior as the door slides closed behind them. There are glass shelves lined with various items. Most of the products near the door are food items that look eerily similar to what Michael ate in the mageless world, yet just slightly different. He picks up a bag of Gummy Gorbinos and feels Jamie gently tug his sleeve.

"Come on, the phones are up ahead." Jamie says.

The bag of gummy candy returns to the shelf as Michael moves toward where Scy is headed, but Jamie discreetly picks it up as the group moves to the electronics section. The items back here look almost indistinguishable from their mageless counterparts, but most of them are sleeker and all of them lack the plastic casing seen on mageless electronics. Michael moves toward where Scy is looking at the phones.

"Wait... do you have any money?" Scy asks quietly.

"...I have like, fifty bucks?" Michael answers just as quietly.

Scy nearly facepalms before stopping himself. He fishes around in his pocket before pulling out a rather large wad of iridescent cyan notes. They're adorned with a large star as well as some illegible magic symbols, and the number twenty. Scy hands them to Michael with a slightly sad look in his eyes.

"Here, just take these. These are crystalline glyph notes, but we just call them glyphs." Scy explains.

Michael looks a little torn by his friends generosity, but pockets the glyphs without complaint. The phones on display all look fairly similar, but their prices range from one hundred glyphs to nearly ten thousand. Michael's got about two hundred, so he chooses one of the cheaper options worth around one hundred and eighty glyphs.

Scy and Jamie comment on his choice, but neither give him any negative feedback on the price range and quality of the product. He steps over to the counter with the phone in hand. A feeling of déjà vu overtakes his anxiety as the purchase feels eerily similar to one he'd make in the mageless world.

"Well... that was easier than I expected." Michael mumbles.

Scy nods with a slight smile, holding up his own magi-phone.

"Yep, there's nothing to it. Let's put our numbers into your phone so we can actually contact each other." Scy says eagerly.

Michael manages to figure out the new magical phone without much trouble. They each give Michael their phone numbers, and Jamie holds up a bag of Gummy Gorbinos for Michael to take.

"For me..?" Michael asks.

"No, for the ghost standing beside you." Jamie replies in a deadly serious tone.

Michael feels a chill go up his spine, but quickly feels his cheeks flush red when Jamie starts to snicker at his gullible reaction. Michael snatches the bag of gummies from Jamie with a slight huff of irritation.

"Jeez, I just didn't get why you'd buy me candy..." Michael mumbles.

Jamie doesn't say anything for a moment, but as they're leaving the store at the direction of Scy he leans closer to Michael to say something.

"I just like you, that's all." Jamie said quietly.

Michael's reaction is just to frown a little whilst walking with his friends. The group reaches the still open gate to the school and start ascending the steps back into the academy. Michael's face turns a little pink as he glances at Jamie out of the corner of his eye.

"Wait. Did he just say he likes me?"

Jamie catches Michael's stare and smirks in a way that's different from usual. Michael quickly looks forward without either of them saying anything. Michael's fingers busy themselves with his new phone as he tries not to think about Jamie's words, and instead he starts playing a game Scy recommended.